Invalid s bed-rest



(No Model.)

REGINA WANGERSHEIM & RUDOLPH WANGERSHEIM -IIW'ALIIPS BED REST.

N0. 532 850. A Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE'.

REGINA VVANGERSHEIM AND RUDOLPH WANGERSHEIM, OF CHICAGO,

' ILLINOIS.

INVALIDS BED-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,850, dated January 22, 1895.

Application filed May 1, 1894. Serial No. 509,704 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, REGINA WANGERSHEIM and RUDQLPH WANGERSHEIM, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Invalids Bed-Rests, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in back-supports, of the class intended for use upon beds to permit invalids to sit supported in a more or less reclining position while being served with their meals, or at other times.

Our object is to provide such a support or bed-rest, of an improved construction, whereby it may be readily attached to a bed, turned out of the way when not in use, and quickly and easily placed in position for use, when desired, to present a particularly comfortable and desirable device for its purpose.

Our object is further to provide a bed-rest of the class described having a removable table for the convenience of the invalid; and still further to provide a device which when removed from the bed may be folded into a comparatively small compass rendering it easy to carry about or store away.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved device, showing it attached to a bed and opened or unfolded into position for use, with the removable table in place; Fig. 2, a perspective view showing the device as it appears when folded out of the way; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the device, showing it in the condition to which it may be folded for convenience in carrying it about or storing it away; Fig. 4, an enlarged elevation of a spring hinge which forms one of the details of construction; and Fig. 5, an enlarged broken section taken on line 5 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A is the rest or back-support comprising a frame A provided with a sheet of canvas, or other suitable flexible material A 13 B are side arms secured at their rear ends to a cross-bar or stop-piece B having an inclined surface 25. The arms 15 and bar B form the supporting frame of the back-support.

The rest A is pivotally connected atopposite sides to .the arms adjacent to the bar B, and the arms are secured to the bar, prefer ably, by means of thumb-screws s passing into the arms through slots 8 in the bar, whereby the bar may be adjusted toa limited extent toward and away from the rest-and the degree of inclination of the latter, while the arms extend in the horizontal plane, may be increased or diminished.

On the inner sides of the outer end-portions of the arms B are grooves r.

C is a removable and adjustable table, provided on opposite edges with tongues q to fit the-grooves r of the arms. On one edge of the table is a thumb-screw q, and in the outer end-portion of one of the arms B is a socket r to receive the screw q. The table may be slid at its tongues into thegrooves of the arms B, until the thumb-screw enters the socket 'r, and the table may be fastened securely in place by tightening the said thumb-screw. At the center of the bar B, and substantially integral therewith, is a sleeve B D is a bar or leg, to one end of which is secured a bar D by means of a spring hinge D The bar D is adapted to enter and slide in the sleeve B In the sleeve is an elongated slot 19 through which a thumb-screw 19 passes into the bar D; and the rest supporting arm formed by the bar D and sleeve B may be lengthened and shortened to an extent limited by the length of the slot 19, and fastened in adjusted position by means of the thumbscrew 19'.

In practice the device is placed in position by passing the bar or leg D down, between the bed-clothes X and head-board X of the bed, to the floor, if desired. The leg may be firmly secured to the head-board, whether extending to the floor or not, by means of a suitable fastener, such as the screw-clamp, E, in a position to cause the arms to extend horizontally when the rest is lowered to the bed.

When not in use, the rest A may be turned to extend parallel with the arms and raised as shown in Fig. 2, in which position itwill be held by the spring hinge. 7

When the rest is to be brought into service the invalid is raised to a sitting position, and

the upper partof thedevice is swung down in a manner to cause the arms to pass down on opposite sides of the invalid until the part A rests upon the bed. The rest may then, if desired, be adjusted to fit against the invalids back, by loosening the thumb-screw p and lengthening or shortening the arm D B and the degree of inclination of the rest may be adjusted, as desired, by shifting the arms B on the bar B. The table may then be inserted into place as described. Thus the device may be readily turned into and out of operative position without removal from the bed, and maybe adjusted to give the greatest degree of comfort to the invalid.

When removed from the bed the parts A and B may be folded together, as described, the leg turned to extend parallel with and against the rest, and the table inserted between the bar B and canvas, or the like, A all as shown in Fig. 3. When thus folded the device is compact and easy to carry about.

Our improved deviceis especially desirable for hospital use. It comprises comparatively few parts, is light, simple and durable, and inexpensive to manufacture, as compared with other devices for the same purpose.

While we prefer to construct our invention as shown and described, it may be modified, as to detail, Without departing from the spirit of our invention as defined by the claims.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a bed-rest for invalids, the combination of a frame having side-arms and a stop piece, a back-support pivotally connected, between its ends, at opposite sides to the said arms, to swing between a folded position, parallel with the arms, and an opened position against the stop-piece, a support to which the frame is pivotally connected to swing between raised and lowered positions on the bed, and means for holding the frame in its raised position, substantially as described.

2. In a bed-rest for invalids, the combination of the support D provided with means for fastening it to the head-board of the bed, the frame having the stop-piece B and the side-arms B, spring hinge connecting the frame and the support D, back-support A, pivotally connected between its ends to the arms B near the stop-piece, table 0 sliding into and out of the arms, and fastening means for securing the table in the arms, the Whole being constructed and arranged to operate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

REGINA WANGERSHEIM. RUDOLPH WVANGERSHEIM. In presence of- H. J. FROST, WV. U. WILLIAMS. 

